If 2019 was the year that officially turned zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice and chia seeds mainstream, we’ve got an update on exactly what health foods we’re all about to start eating next year in 2020.
As the wellness trend continues to boom and Australians become more conscious about their health, more than ever before we’re looking to overhaul our diets and swap out the unhealthy foods for healthier alternatives.
So we asked clinical nutritionist Bec Miller, who goes by Health With Bec on Instagram, to tell us about the hot new health food trends we’re all about to jump on board in 2020.
Keep on scrolling for the five new foods about to be added to your grocery cart.
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Hemp seeds
Hemp seeds used to be considered an unusual ingredient, but now you can easily pick them up from the supermarket.
(Credit: Getty)Now, don’t freak out. Hemp seeds are totally legit, and they won’t get you high.
Hemp seeds are the seeds of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. They’re from the same species as cannabis, or marijuana, but they’re a completely different variety.
The rise in the plant-based food movement in 2020 will see people searching for more meat-free protein sources, Bec predicts, which is where hemp seeds come in.
“Hemp seeds are really high in protein, amino acids and low in carbs and they’re good for the gut” Bec told Good Health.
“You can add a couple of tablespoons to a meal instead of meat and still know you’re getting protein and they’re high in omega 3s,” she said.
They make a perfect vegan-friendly addition to smoothies, salads, porridge and breakfast bowls made with fruit and yoghurt.
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Alternate flours
These delicious cookies were made with oat and coconut flour, instead of regular flour.
(Credit: Getty)While there’s nothing wrong with regular white or wholemeal flour, the rise of other types of flours – such as oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour, rice flour, nut flours, chickpea flours and flours made from ancient grains such as buckwheat and millet – are predicted to be on the rise next year.
“People are really going to be searching for more alternate flours,” Bec said.
“They want gluten-free flour alternatives, such as flours made from different types of nuts. I’ve even seen cauliflower flour around. I do think that cauliflower is going to be made into some whacky things, beyond just ‘rice’ and pizza bases,” she said.
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Healthy packet foods
Keep It Cleaner’s range of healthy packet foods, including green pea pasta, lentil pasta and tomato pasta sauces, are a sign of the healthy packaged food movement hitting our supermarket shelves.
(Credit: Supplied)For years, we’ve been told to steer clear of foods that come in a packet, as well as avoiding the “middle aisles” of the supermarket, instead eating whole, fresh foods.
But Bec predicts that packet and pre-prepared foods are about to get a whole lot healthier, thanks to advances in technology that allow healthy ingredients to be kept fresh without the addition of preservatives or artificial thickeners and stabilisers.
“The world is moving in a lot of good ways. I used to say to people ‘Don’t buy things in a packet’, but there are things that come in a packet that are actually super healthy,” Bec said.
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For example, there are several tomato sauce brands stocked in supermarkets that “just contain tomato and basil and you can just grab them,” Bec said.
Plus, new formulations mean foods like edamame pastas, as well as pasta made from lentil or chickpea flours, are set to become hugely popular.
“Even things like chips have become healthier,” Bec said. “I’ve seen cauliflower and broccoli-puffed chips and air dried veggies, which make for great snacks.”
“There’s still a lot of foods to dodge, but there’s also going to be a lot more healthy alternatives.”
Using vegetables in weird and wonderful ways
These “meatballs” were created with a mix of minced meat and vegetables, which Bec says is set to be a growing health food trend next year.
(Credit: Getty)Thanks to the rise in the plant-based food movement and documentaries like The Game Changers, people are looking for more ways to increase their vegetable consumption while also eating less meat.
So Bec predicts we will see foodies happily creating dishes where meat and vegetables are mixed together – and we’re not talking about just your standard meat-and-three-veg meal.
“We’re going to see more meat that’s blended with more vegetables and legumes. So for example, meatballs made from a mix of minced meat with crushed chickpeas and cauliflower,” Bec said.
And expect to see vegetables used in some pretty weird and whacky ways.
“People are trying to use veggies as much as possible in clever ways, so I’ve even seen foods like pumpkin and avocado used to make yoghurt.”
Avocado yoghurt?! Yup, it’s a thing.
Healthier sugar alternatives
Monk fruit is set to be used to create health sugar and sweetener alternatives.
(Credit: Getty)We all know that sugar isn’t great for us, but it’s close to impossible to avoid the sweet stuff altogether. Plus, we shouldn’t have to go without our favourite sweet treats completely.
So the rise in healthy, natural and low-sugar sweeteners is set to boom.
Bec says examples of sugar alternatives on the rise include the extract from monk fruit, which is low in sugar and pomegranate sweeteners made from the seeds and juice of the pomegranate fruit.
